When I was reviewing the N800, I wanted have a control to demonstrate the N800’s capabilities as compared to a similar product.  After days of thinking, I came to the realization that there is really no comparison to the Internet Tablet as it is simply in a league all by itself.  The N800 (and its predecessor the N770) basically are for those who are wired to the internet and absolutely refuse to be parted from it, without the bulkiness of a laptop, or the limitations of PDA or mobile phone.  Its sole purpose is surfing the web, with a couple of added incentives.

I am personally glad to see the R&D team at Nokia put some thought into the second generation net tablet, as compared to the pioneer, making it a more powerful product. 

The dimensions on the N800 measures 5.5” x 3.1” x 0.70” weighing 7.3 ounces, slightly less than the N770, making this an easily storable device either in your pocket on in your bag.  Don’t get me wrong, there is some bulk to it, and it’s kind of difficult to stuff into a clutch purse, but for all intents and purposes, it’s a pretty damn good size for something that can surf the net.  Take the good with the bad; there are some things in life that are worth sacrificing for….and this is one of them.    

The overall look and design of the N800 has become much more refined, and sleeker looking.  The N800 boasts a large and attractive 4 inch touch screen with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, and an extremely vivid display.  We took the N800 out in the sun, and in the brightness of the summertime, we had very little difficulty seeing the screen and navigating. 

The control panels went through a slight change in design with the buttons level with the surface of the device.  They are embedded in the body so as you glide your fingers across the surface of the N800, it doesn’t feel like an obstacle while moving your fingers.  On the left side of the touch screen, there is a direction and function pads.  I had a difficult time trying to figure out how to use the pads.  I became puzzled by the symbols, which made navigation with the function pads harder than it should be.  In any case, I stuck to the stylus and touch screen (as most people normally do).  On the top left corner there is the power button, and a zoom in/out button for making your web browser enlarge to full screen size (nice feature) 

On the right corner of the Nokia N800 logo, there’s a headphone jack for the already included ear buds, jack for your charger, and the stylus slot for your pen.  On the left corner, there is a nifty webcam for making video internet phone calls, or simply web chatting with your friends. 

On the bottom of the N800, there is flip out adjustable kickstand, which gives great stability, and views from two different angles.  I thought this was a great idea, and a much better improvement to the 2-piece plastic disaster from the N770.  Once the kickstand is open there is a slot for a miniSD card, and USB connection. 

Open the back panel of the N800 and you’ll also see and additional slot for an SD card.  Since the N800 can support up to 2 gigs of memory, you can load both slots up with 2 gigs worth for much better performance, and added memory. 

One the desktop, the N800 layout is very easy to read, and understand.  There is a Google web search bar at the top, and options for web browsers, instant messaging, and file/system management, plus with a few clicks on the touchscreen, you can easily navigate to any other function on the N800.  Once your apps are open, you can see each application opened in the space on the left side of the screen, similar to a Windows layout.  Accompany this with the Opera browser, and your Web surfing is fast and responsive, making portable Web browsing enjoyable. 

While surfing on the N800, websites loaded quick and effortlessly.  There are other sites complaining about the lag the N800 demonstrated while multimedia sites.  With the addition of Flash 9 I personally didn’t find any problems while surfing.  However, I did notice the online videos from YouTube weren’t streaming consistently, as if you were connected to a dialup modem.  For the most part, simple web viewing was extremely enjoyable.

The N800 also has a slew of other features, including playing music and video from a multitude of file formats (MP3, MP2, WMA, WAV, AAC, AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, 3GP), hold pictures in different file formats (JPEG, TIFF, BMP< GIF, ICO, TIFF), view PDF’s, storing contacts, video games, and instant messaging software.  There are four currently installed video games, and more on Nokia’s website, with other software packets for your N800.

I would like to see a QWERTY keypad in the next generation on Internet Tablets.  This would make typing much faster than consistenly clicking on the virtual keypad.  In some cases, you can completely miss letters and end up going to wrong sites, or sending wrong messages while using the touch screen keypad. 

There were a couple of annoyances while playing with the N800.  For one thing, when I turned off the net tablet, all of my previously viewed websites were gone.  There were no cookies, or temp internet files for me to access.  This is something I’d like to see added. 

Unfortunately, if you want to use yahoo messenger, or msn, think again.  You have to use the currently installed chat programs on the N800, Google talk and Jabber.  I tried to download a Yahoo messenger program, and the N800 couldn’t read the file.  Come on Nokia, give us a break!

I also had some difficulty viewing PDF files.  I kept receiving an internal error message.  Some of the files were fine, others crashed.  Not sure if it was my problem, or the systems. 

I was thrilled to see the webcam function, though some sites condemned its quality.  Geez man, be happy that Nokia put it into the design.  Given the circumstances (ie portability, convenience, cost, etc) unless you want to weld a Logitech webcam pro 5000 to its chassis, give it a break!  I thought the idea of a potable webcam was phenomenal, and the quality wasn’t too bad.  Of course it can be better, but at the moment, it does its job, and I’m satisfied with it.  An image adjustment function would be a good idea to have apart of the system management. 

In the software bundle already installed on your N800, there is software to make it checking email POP3 or IMAP mail accounts.  You can also check RSS feeds with the installed software.  Now, internet calling on the N800 has been made simple with the addition of Skype as one of the installed programs.   

The N800 also offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wirelessly connecting to the Internet which during tests, connected quickly.  I had some trouble setting up the Bluetooth from my mobile phone to the N800.  It became a little confusing at first, but after 10 attempts, I had no trouble connecting. 

In the box, you’ll get the N800 Portable Internet Tablet, a soft suede-like case, ear buds, charger, manuals, USB cord, and two styluses. 

Overall I like the fact that there is a piece of equipment out there strictly for internet surfing, without killing your budget (compared to a micro PC, or a laptop) gives a warm feeling to my heart.  In this case, Nokia has provided that warmness in the N800. 

It’s not a perfect Internet Tablet.  Nothing in this world is perfect.  In the light of its predecessor, the N770, there have been some major improvements in the kickstand, design, features, and connectivity.  One of the best portable devices I’ve seen in the market today.

I give’s Nokia N800 4 out of 5.

Krush Out!